Tehran Defiant on Sanctions
(December 28, 2006)
For the first time, Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad acknowledged its nuclear weapons program
when dismissing the UNSC resolution imposing limited
sanctions against Tehran as a “piece of torn paper”
meant to “scare Iranians.”<More>

Increased Foreign M&A
Projected
(December 27, 2006)
Investment bankers and
analysts project
increased merger and
acquisitions (M&A)
activity in the
information technology
(IT) space where smaller
Indian companies are
acquired by larger
foreign players but do
not rule out a large
deals either.<More>

Bush Allays Indian Concerns
(December 26, 2006)
US President George Bush called Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to wish him for the season and to
also allay fears in India over the civilian
cooperation bill and both leaders concluded that
these concerns can be addressed in the “1-2-3
Agreement.”<More>

Energy Concerns & Alternatives
(December 25, 2006)
As India’s economy grows at a breathtaking 9.1% its
hunger for energy to sustain this growth is higher and
though per capita energy consumption is relatively low,
its energy use is expected to surpass Russia and Japan
to be the third largest consumer of energy by 2030.<More>

Govt to Divest from Maruti
(December 23, 2006)
After 25 years of partnership with
Japanese Suzuki Motors through
Maruti Industries, the Government
has decided to sell its remnant
10.27% stake for an estimated Rs.
2,700 crore (USD 586 million) to
overcome budget deficits.<More>

No Shortcuts in Kashmir
(December 21, 2006)
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf proposed a “four
point solution” to resolve the Kashmir dispute that
includes Indian troop withdrawal, self-governance for
Kashmiris, joint supervision by the three sides, and
maintaining current borders in exchange for giving up
claim to Kashmir.<More>

The Iran Problem for US
(December 20, 2006)
As Tehran civic polls brought in moderate and reformist
opponents of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s
to power, US policy makers are increasingly concerned
about developments and statements from Iran and
especially about their nuclear program.<More>

No Sanctions Says NK
( December 19, 2006)
A defiant Pyongyang declaring itself a
nuclear power and threatening to increase
its arsenal unless UN sanctions imposed on
it since its October 9 nuclear test and
remove financial restrictions that prompted
the bankrupt nation to break-off the 6
nation dialogue 13 months ago.<More>

Manmohan’s Japan Visit
(December 18, 2006)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Japan
where he invited greater investment from
Japan under a Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and also
requested Tokyo’s support for the Indo-US
civilian nuclear deal in the Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG).<More>

Taliban Is a Virtual Mini State in Pak
(December 14, 2006)
Finally, Western media has woken up to the
dangers of the
peace pact between Pakistan and the
local Taliban in the North West Frontier
Province and the New York Times (NYT) reported
about a resurgent Taliban supporting
Indian concern for this development.

New Money Laundering Law
(December 13, 2006)
India has enacted the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA) that would allow
government agencies to track funding of
terrorist activities and greatly help
intelligence agencies monitor the flow of
funds often indicative of terrorist strikes.<More>

Qualitative Jump in Indo-US Relations
(December 12, 2006)
In a major show of good faith, US policy
makers worked into the night to reconcile
the House and Senate versions of the
amendments to US law that would facilitate
Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation and
will be signed into law by US President
George Bush.<More>

Citizens in Crossfire
(December 11, 2006)
Thousands of civilians took shelter in schools and
Buddhist temples after wayward artillery fire wounded
dozens and killed and wounded many soldiers, rebels, and
civilians and the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and rebels
trading charges on who was responsible.<More>

LTTE Wants “Independent” Nation
(December 08, 2006)
The Sri Lankan Government rejected Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Vellupillai Prabakaran’s call
for an “independent” Tamil Eelam as there is no other
option left for the Tamils and has enacted tougher
anti-terror laws.<More>

Chávez Wins a Polarized Nation
(December 07, 2006)
In yet another irritant for globalization
enthusiasts, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez won the presidential election by a
landslide for the 3rd time based on a strong
economy and blatant anti-Americanism and
global economy he calls “socialist
revolution.”<More>

Coup in Fiji
(December 06, 2006)
The military commander of Fiji overthrew the
elected Government, declared a state of
emergency, and installed a new prime
minister and police chief claiming to
prevent legislation that favored indigenous
Fijians over naturalized and native Indians.<More>

Jordan King Visit
(December 05, 2006)
King Abdullah II visited India on a three
day state visit and both nations used the
visit to boost ties by signing four
agreements to promote and protect
investments, cooperate in agriculture,
conduct exchange programs, and increase
tourism.<More>

Hu’s Visit to India
(December 04, 2006)
India categorized Chinese President Hu Jintao as “an
important step forward” to develop “cooperative
framework of engagement” but acknowledged “outstanding
issues” even as the two nations signed 13 agreements
covering a range of cosmetic issues.<More>

No Role for Iran in Iraq
(December 01, 2006)
US President George Bush met Iraqi Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki to review the Iraqi
situation and assured him of giving him the
“the tools,” “capacity to respond,” and that
the US was not looking for a “graceful exit”
promising to stay “until the job is
complete.”<More>